Alumni Stories: Jordan Colclough, E-Learning Developer at Day One Technologies

Posted February 15, 2017

Today’s Alumni Story is Jordan Colclough, who is currently working at Day One Technologies in Batley, along with quite a few other recent #TeamBradford graduates. Here he shares his experiences following his graduation from BA Computer Animation in 2015.

What was your time at the University of Bradford like?

I was really engaged in sports and everything the Union had to offer, and much as I appreciated the course, one of the biggest things I took away from Uni was everything else it teaches you. For example, I helped run the Snowsports team which helped me with events planning and communicating with a range of people, skills I’ve used a lot in everyday life.

After Uni, I went to New Zealand for nine months to be an Outdoor Education volunteer for the YMCA, which was nothing like my degree but it was great to take a step back and think about what I wanted to do as a career.

After this, I decided that I wanted to get back into Computer Animation in some way, and the combination of my skills made me a good fit for this role at Day One.

Tell us what an average day at Day One Technologies is like…?

At the beginning of the week, we divide up the project for the week so everyone is allotted individual tasks. The client will give feedback that we will act upon, and hopefully they will be happy with the standard of the work by the end of the week. The job involves making images and animations- sometimes there will be five, sometimes 100, so you have to deal with this and manage your time effectively.

The office is quite quiet on a morning, but I’m quite energetic which I’m sure other people find annoying, but by mid-morning things have warmed up, and generally there’s a light hearted atmosphere. Things can get a bit tense towards the deadlines at the end of the week though!

What employability skills do you use in the role?

Critical thinking– it’s important to be able critique my own and others’ work in a positive way.

Leadership – I run the Photoshop tests for the interviews here, which also uses technical skills I learned on the course at Uni (BA Computer Animation).

Interpersonal skills – these have continued to grow through Uni and to travelling to New Zealand. I will hopefully be leading my own team soon, so I will have more responsibility, and I will use the experience of working on group projects to inform this.

How has this job informed your long term career plans?

This job has helped me understand more about myself. I originally thought it would be temporary, but I saw that I was valued here and that helped me feel more confident about my future.

I’m thinking about Masters courses in Management or Outdoor Education, and I had my heart set on a Producing for Animation & Video Games which would have been ideal for me, but unfortunately it was pulled before it began.

What advice would you give to students and grads looking for work?

For arts students: have a portfolio and records of your work- it’s really useful.

Also, be prepared to be unsuccessful in some applications and interviews, as it’s all part of the learning process.

Thanks Jordan! Next week, we’re going to hear from Elaine Teal, the Learning Director at Day One Technologies to hear about their opportunities and advice for students and graduates from an employer’s point of view.